JP2004321685A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problems that a conventional rice cooker using steam at ≥100°C simultaneously requires high sealing property to negative pressure and that to positive pressure and high technology and durability of each part are required for realizing both of them, and to prevent drying of the surface layer of the cooked rice due to warming at a high temperature of 72 °C, intrusion of various germs before and after opening of a lid, and occurrence of smell caused by warming such as Mailard reaction. <P>SOLUTION: Warmed cooked rice which tastes good is provided by properly feeding steam at ≥100°C so as to reduce the various germs, to send the smell caused by warming to outside of the pot and to give moisture to dried cooked rice at the surface layer of the cooked rice. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a rice cooker used for general household or business use.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a conventional rice cooker using steam at 100 ° C. or higher, the steam has been used as a means for bringing the inside of the pot into a deoxygenated state at the time of keeping the temperature warm (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
FIG. 4 shows the configuration of Patent Document 1. Reference numeral 1 denotes a rice cooker main body, in which a pot 2 is detachably mounted. Numeral 3 is a lid that covers the upper surface of the pot and is installed to be freely opened and closed. Reference numeral 4 denotes a pot packing, which is interposed between the lid and the pot to enhance sealing. Reference numeral 5 denotes a water storage tank for storing water, from which water is pumped into a steam chamber 7 by suction vaporization means 6. Reference numeral 8 denotes steam spraying means, and 9 denotes air discharging means for discharging air in the pot to the outside. According to this rice cooker, it is possible to replace the air in the pot with steam of 111 ° C. or more in the heat keeping step of keeping the rice at about 72 ° C. after the completion of the rice cooking, and to keep the rice in a deoxidized state, thereby suppressing the deterioration of the rice. Become.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-328021
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the rice cooker having the above-described configuration, the air pressure in the pot is reduced by replacing the air in the pot with steam at 111 ° C. or higher, so that a high hermeticity against negative pressure is required. On the other hand, when rice is cooked on a daily basis, steam of 100 ° C. or more is generated in the pot, so that it is basically required to have tightness against positive pressure. Implementing both involves difficulties such as extremely high technical strength and durability of each component.
[0006]
In addition, the same problem as a rice cooker that does not use steam at 100 ° C or higher against drying of the rice surface phase by keeping the temperature at a high temperature of 72 ° C, infiltration of various bacteria before and after the lid is opened, and the keeping odor due to the Maillard reaction and the like. have.
[0007]
The present invention prevents the above-mentioned problems from occurring by using steam at 100 ° C. or higher for a purpose different from the conventional example, and provides a good heat-retaining rice that suppresses drying, propagation of various bacteria, and heat odor during heat retention. Is to do.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to avoid the above-described problems, the present invention has changed the usage of steam, and includes a main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, an openable / closable lid for covering the pan opening, A heating means for heating the pan, a temperature detecting means in the pan, a steam generating means for injecting steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and measuring a heat retention elapsed time, a lid opening time, a lid opening time, etc. In a rice cooker having a measuring means, by injecting steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pot, the number of germs is reduced, the heat retaining odor is sent out of the pot, and the taste of the rice surface phase is given by giving moisture to the dried rice. Provide good warm rice cooker.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The invention according to claim 1 includes a main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, an openable / closable lid covering a pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body to heat the pan, In a rice cooker having a temperature detecting means, a steam generating means for injecting steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pot, and a measuring means for measuring a heat retaining elapsed time, when the temperature is kept at a temperature lower than 72 ° C., the state becomes deoxygenated. By introducing steam of 100 ° C or more into the pot after 2 hours or more from the end of rice cooking, which is the shortest time for the mycelia of aerobic bacteria to germinate to germinate, the propagation of bacteria is reduced and various bacteria are reduced. In addition, even when the temperature is kept at 72 ° C. or higher, the warm odor due to the Maillard reaction and the like is sent out of the pot, and the dried rice on the surface layer of the rice is provided with moisture so as to provide a warm rice with good taste. is there.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 2 is to shorten the time from the first steam injection to the second steam injection compared to the time from the heat retention start to the first steam injection, so that the rice cooked by the aerobic bacteria once in the activated state. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a warm rice cooked with good taste by appropriately suppressing deterioration, sending out the heat retention smell generated up to that time to the outside of the pot, and adding moisture to the dried rice on the rice surface layer.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 3 includes a main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, an openable / closable lid for covering the pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, A rice cooker having a temperature detecting means, an opening / closing detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid, a steam generating means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and a measuring means for measuring a heat retention elapsed time; By changing the next steam injection time in consideration of the dryness of the cooked rice and the state of generation of the heat odor according to the time when the open state of the cooked rice was detected, avoid wasting steam and provide cooked rice with good taste Is what you do.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 4 includes a main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, an openable / closable lid for covering the pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, A rice cooker having a temperature detecting means, an opening / closing detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid, a steam generating means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and a measuring means for measuring a heat retention elapsed time; Depending on the number of times the open state of the rice is detected, the next steam injection time is changed in consideration of the dryness of the heated rice and the invasion of various bacteria into the pot, thereby avoiding unnecessary steam injection and maintaining good taste. Offer rice.
[0013]
The invention according to claim 5 includes a main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, a temperature detecting means in the pan, an openable / closable lid covering a pan opening, and a pan provided in the main body. A rice cooker having heating means for heating, open / close detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid, steam generating means for introducing steam at 100 ° C. or higher into the pan, and measuring means for measuring a continuous opening time of the lid. By keeping the lid open continuously, the next steam injection time is changed in consideration of the drying state of the heated rice and the invasion of various bacteria, thereby avoiding unnecessary steam injection and providing a cooked rice with good taste. It is.
[0014]
【Example】
First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0015]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a main body, an upper surface of which is open. A pan 11 is detachably housed in the main body 10, and an opening of the pan 11 is covered with a lid 12 which can be opened and closed. Reference numeral 13 denotes a pot packing, which is interposed between the lid and the pot to enhance the sealing. Reference numeral 14 denotes a water storage tank in which water is stored, from which water is pumped into a steam chamber 16 by means of suction vaporization means 15. The steam heated to 100 ° C. or higher in the steam chamber 16 is sprayed into the pot 11 by the steam spraying unit 17. Reference numeral 18 denotes a heating unit that heats the pan 11, and 19 denotes a temperature detection unit that is provided to contact the pan 11.
[0016]
A steam tube 21 is detachably attached to a steam path 20 provided in the lid 12, and a magnet valve 22 is provided inside the steam tube 21. A reed switch 23 is located at a position facing the magnet valve 22. The magnet valve 22 and the reed switch 23 detect the movement of the magnet valve 22 by the reed switch 23 when the waste generated during rice cooking reaches the steam path 20 and tries to pass through the inside of the steam cylinder 21, and heat the rice. The spill-over prevention means for preventing the spill-over by controlling the energization of the means 18, and when the lid 12 is opened, the magnet valve 22 moves in the hinge axis direction due to gravity and is relatively moved from the reed switch 23. It is also an open / close detecting means for detecting the movement of the cover 12 to detect the open / closed state of the lid 12 to move to a distant place.
[0017]
Reference numeral 24 denotes a control unit which controls the power supply to the heating means 18 by controlling the output of the temperature detecting means 19 and the reed switch 23 to control the temperature of the pot 11 and measures the elapsed time of the heat retention and the opening and closing times of the opening of the lid 12. It is a measuring means and also has a storage means for storing the measurement data.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a time chart simply showing the correlation between the temperature of the heated rice, the elapsed time, and the operation of the steam generating means. The solid line 25 indicates the rice temperature when the temperature is kept at a temperature lower than 72 ° C. The temperature of the cooked rice when the temperature is kept at a temperature lower than ℃, and a chain line 27 indicates the operation state of the steam spraying means 17.
[0019]
When rice is cooked in a rice cooker configured as shown in FIG. 1 and kept warm, the temperature gradually decreases immediately after rice cooking (0 hour) as shown in FIG. When the temperature is kept lower than 72 ° C. as indicated by the solid line 25, the hyphae of the aerobic bacterium, which is the main cause of putrefaction odor, can be germinated from the spores. The germination time is about 2 hours after the temperature drops below 72 ° C. At that time, the steam spraying means 17 is operated as shown by a chain line 27 and steam of 100 ° C or more is injected into the pot 11. By doing so, the growth of bacteria can be delayed. In addition, even when the temperature is kept at 72 ° C. or more, the heat retention odor due to the Maillard reaction or the like can be sent out of the pot. Furthermore, various bacteria on the surface layer of the heated rice cooked into the pot when unraveled after cooking can be sterilized by steam at 100 ° C. or higher. In addition, the surface layer of the cooked rice is exposed to air when the lid 12 is opened and closed, etc., and is dried. However, the cooked rice can be provided with moisture, and can provide the cooked rice with good smell and taste.
[0020]
In addition, the main cause of putrefaction odor once entering the activated state by shortening the time until the second steam injection at 100 ° C. or more as compared with the time from the start of heat retention to the first steam injection as indicated by a chain line 27. Thus, it is possible to provide humidified rice with good taste while keeping deterioration of cooked rice due to aerobic bacteria.
[0021]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0022]
FIG. 3 is a time chart simply showing the correlation between the heat retention elapsed time, the open / closed state of the lid, and the operation of the steam generating means. The solid line 28 indicates the open / closed state of the lid 12, and the chain line 29 indicates the operation of the steam generating means 17. The state is shown.
[0023]
When the rice cooker configured as shown in FIG. 1 cooks rice and keeps warm, when the open state of the lid 12 is detected several times as in 28a immediately after cooking (0 hours), the warming elapsed time is short. Therefore, it is considered that the effect of injecting steam at 100 ° C. or more is small because the warm cooked rice is not much dried and the temperature is high, so that there is little concern about propagation of various bacteria. Therefore, if the steam spraying means 17 is stopped while detecting the opening of the lid 12 here, unnecessary humidification can be avoided, and the cooked rice with good taste can be provided.
[0024]
Next, in 28b, when the open state is detected for at least 4 times or 10 minutes or more immediately after the rice cooking, it is determined that the surface layer of the heated rice is dried, and after detecting the closed state of the lid 12, the steam spraying means 17 is operated. I try to make it. Thereby, humidification can be performed at an appropriate time, and it is possible to provide warm rice with good taste.
[0025]
In the case of 28c and 28d, since 4 hours or more have passed since immediately after the rice cooking, the surface layer of the warmed cooked rice is slightly dry and the temperature is lower than immediately after the rice cooking, so that it can be estimated that the germs easily propagate. Therefore, the steam spraying means 17 is operated even when the total number of times and the total time of detecting the open state of the lid 12 are smaller than the operating conditions of the steam generating means 17 at the time point 28b. This makes it possible to provide a cooked rice with a good taste, which is less dried and suppresses the growth of various bacteria even when the temperature is kept for a long time.
[0026]
In this case, as the steam generating means, a method using the water storage tank 14, the suction evaporating means 15, the steam chamber 16, the steam spraying means 17 and the like has been described, but the water storage tank 14 is heated to generate steam, and the pot 11 is heated. The means for feeding steam having a temperature of 100 ° C. or more into the pot 11 such as a configuration for feeding steam into the pot 11 is not limited.
[0027]
Further, the magnet valve 22 and the reed switch 23 are used as open / close detecting means for detecting the open / close state of the lid 12, but the open / close detecting means is not limited.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body, the pan removably stored in the main body, the openable lid that covers the pan opening, and the pan provided in the main body and heating the pan are provided. Heating at a temperature lower than 72 ° C. in a rice cooker having a heating means for performing heating, a temperature detecting means in the pot, a steam generating means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pot, and a measuring means for measuring a heat retaining elapsed time. In this case, the propagation of the bacteria is carried out by injecting steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pot at least two hours after the end of the rice cooking, which is the shortest time for the mycelia of the aerobic bacteria to germinate without being deoxygenated. When the temperature is kept at 72 ° C or higher, the odor generated by the Maillard reaction is sent out of the pot, and the taste is improved by giving moisture to the dried rice on the rice surface layer. Offer warm rice It can be.
[0029]
According to the invention described in claim 2, by shortening the time from the first to the second steam injection compared to the time from the heat retention start to the first steam injection, the aerobic bacterium once entered the active state. Deterioration of the cooked rice is appropriately suppressed, the heat retention odor generated up to that time is sent out of the pot, and moisture is imparted to the dry cooked rice on the rice surface layer, so that the cooked rice with good taste can be provided.
[0030]
According to the invention as set forth in claim 3, the main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the pan opening, and heating means provided in the main body and heating the pan, In a rice cooker having a temperature detecting means in the pot, an opening / closing detecting means for detecting an open / closed state of the lid, a steam generating means for introducing steam of 111 ° C. or more into the pot, and a measuring means for measuring a heat retention elapsed time. By changing the next steam injection time in consideration of the dryness of the cooked rice and the state of generation of the heated odor according to the time when the lid is opened, the wasted cooked rice with good taste can be avoided. Can be provided.
[0031]
According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, the main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the pan opening, and a heating means provided in the main body and heating the pan, A rice cooker having a temperature detecting means in the pot, an open / close detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid, a steam generating means for introducing steam of 111 ° C. or higher into the pot, and a measuring means for measuring a heat retention elapsed time. The number of times the lid has been opened is detected, and the next steam injection time is changed in consideration of the dryness of the cooked rice and the invasion of various bacteria into the pot to avoid wasting steam and improve the taste. We can provide hot rice.
[0032]
According to the invention as set forth in claim 5, the main body, the pan removably stored in the main body, the temperature detecting means in the pan, the openable / closable lid for covering the pan opening, and the main body are provided in the main body. Cooking rice having heating means for heating the pot, open / close detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid, steam generating means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and measuring means for measuring the continuous opening time of the lid By changing the time of the next steam injection in consideration of the dryness of the cooked rice and the invasion of various bacteria by the continuous opening time of the lid, the waste steam is avoided and the cooked rice with good taste is provided. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the correlation between the temperature of the heated rice and the operation of the steam generating means according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in the front-back direction of a conventional rice cooker.
1, 10 Main body 2, 11 Pot 6, 12 Lid 5, 14 Water storage tank 6, 15 Suction vaporization means 7, 16 Steam chamber 8, 17 Steam spraying means

Claims (5)

A main body, a pan removably stored in the main body, an openable / closable lid covering the pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, a temperature detecting means in the pan, A rice cooker having a steam generating means for charging steam at 100 ° C. or higher and a measuring means for measuring a heat retention elapsed time, wherein the steam is charged into the pot at least two hours after the start of the heat retention. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the time from the first to the second steam input is shorter than the time from the heat retention start to the first steam input. A main body, a pan removably housed in the main body, a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, a temperature detection means in the pan, It has open / close detection means for detecting the open / close state, steam generation means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and measurement means for measuring the elapsed time of heat retention. A rice cooker with a different throw time. A main body, a pan removably housed in the main body, a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, a temperature detection means in the pan, It has open / close detection means for detecting the open / close state, steam generation means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and measurement means for measuring the elapsed time of heat retention. A rice cooker with a different throw time. A main body, a pan removably housed in the main body, a temperature detecting means in the pan, an openable / closable lid covering a pan opening, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, It has open / close detection means for detecting the open / close state, steam generation means for introducing steam of 100 ° C. or more into the pan, and measurement means for measuring the continuous open time of the lid. A rice cooker made by putting in.

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